“Adventure Sport Sampler” 9-Day Family Adventure Vacation

Boquete Outdoor Adventures invites you to come to Panama for a multi-sport adventure vacation in the throbbing jungles, wild rivers and uninhabited islands of the Chiriqui Province!

The following itinerary is one that we created for the family who has a hearty appetite for physical activity and enjoys a challenge. A typical 9-day trip begins on Saturday and ends on Sunday.

Day 1

We will meet you at the airport when you arrive in Panama City and deliver you to your hotel. From this point on, our job is to take care of every detail. Your job is to enjoy the vacation of a lifetime!

Day 2

We take a short 45 minute plane flight from Panama City to David, the 3rd largest city in Panama just minutes from Laguna de Chiriqui in the Pacific. From here, we take a half-hour drive up to the mountain town of Boquete. After checking into our hotel and getting comfortable, we climb up into the rainforest canopy for a bird’s-eye view of the tropical rainforest and cloudforest of the Chiriqui highlands. On our canopy tour, we’ll zip through the trees and take in as much as we can of the many incredible views available to us on this unique tour.

Day 3

We take off early to hike the famous Los Quetzales Trail. This trail climbs from Boquete through Volcan Baru National Park up to the small mountain hamlet of Cerro Punta. Famous for seeing the magnificent and quite elusive Resplendant Quetzal, this area is home to some 220 bird varieties.

After the hike, we will stay at the Los Quetzales Lodge located at the edge of La Amistad National Park. Founded by Carlos Alfarro, one of Panama’s most active environmental advocates, the Los Quetzales Lodge is a well-deserved treat after climbing some 2500 feet on the Los Quetzales trail. Be prepared for massages, hot tubs and saunas.

Day 4

We head to the Rio Chiriqui Viejo to raft some of the most exciting whitewater in Central America. This river has a variety of sections that will please any whitewater enthusiast, as well as beginners. The section we do will depend on the ability of your family, but the Viejo consists of over five distinct sections including Class II, Class III and Class IV and IV+ runs.

At the end of the day, we head back to Boquete.

Day 5

If you think rafting is exciting, wait until you’ve experienced whitewater in a kayak. This one-day introduction is intended to give you every opportunity to find your hidden love for whitewater kayaking. The instruction will emphasize the basics: paddling gear, boat safety, basic paddling technique and river awareness. The first half of the day is spent on flat water where you’ll get comfortable in your boat and practice your technique. The second half of the day is spent on a favorite class II section of river where each of the skills that you acquired earlier in the morning will come into play!

We also offer an inflatable kayak if a member of your family isn’t quite up for the challenge.

Day 6

Travel from the mountains to the sea in a day. Today, we head down the hill from Boquete to Golfo de Chiriqui National Marine Park where we’ll sea kayak out to one of our favorite islands. Sea kayaking on the calm seas will be a welcome reprieve after the whitewater action you experienced yesterday! The marine park encompasses over 35,000 acres and has a large number of islands and coral reefs that offer excellent opportunities for observing wildlife, snorkeling and exploring.

No need to rush the recreation and relaxation because we’ll spend the night on the island. Don’t worry, we’ll take of every detail!

We offer boat assistance on each of our sea kayaking excursions in the event that a member of your family isn’t confident about their paddling endurance. We also offer sport fishing from the boat if anyone is interested.

Day 7

We’ll spend the morning fishing, snorkeling, swimming and relaxing on the beach before heading back to Boquete for our last night in the mountains. We will get back just in time to wander around this beautiful town, visit some local artesanias, sample (and buy) some coffee and observe the local Panamanians as they gear up for the weekend.

Day 8

A trip to Panama wouldn’t be complete without seeing the Panama Canal. After our short plane flight to Panama City in the morning, we will visit Miraflores Locks. This is a great place to watch ships transit the locks and visit the magnificient museum here. After our visit the canal, we will visit Panama Viejo and see some of the amazing colonial architecture. Of course, we will have time to visit some of the local artisan markets to see many of the Panamanian and indigenous crafts. Finally, we will visit one of the many great restaurants in Panama City for our last night.

Day 9

We will deposit you at the international airport for your return flight and say our good-byes until next year!